The Lucy Mills Chronicles: Happy Endings Day
by tmpayne80
Summary: Sometimes the disasters we see coming are merely a product of our fear. As Lucy faces down the consequences of her words, the unexpected plays out. Some spoilers from Season 4 Episode in last chapter. References to Seasons 5 and 6. (All characters of Once Upon A Time belong to ABC, therefore I claim no credit.)
1. The Realization

Ian and I hadn't exchanged even the politest greeting after what had happened back on the Jolly Roger. At first, I'd found it to be more annoying than troubling. With each passing day, I'd started to relive the moments that had created this. The acidic effect of my words soon burned me on the inside. Of course, reliving his exit had added to my mounting guilt.

I had been careless with my words and insensitive to his feelings. I hadn't known that, at the time. My guilt and shame for what I had done only festered to an ugly sore with each passing day of no communication.

Every time I'd manifest the courage to apologize, the hurt in his eyes would stop me.

You're the last person he cares to talk to, a chilling voice in my mind warned me.

So, instead of facing him on campus, I'd sit alone in the corner lunch room booth. Ian would look my way and then turn his head, an unreadable expression on his face.

One of us had been too stubborn and the other too scared to end this destructive exchange of "silent treatment" tactics.

The gossips of every level had made it worse by the tales they'd been spreading. According to those that were supposed to be "in the know", Ian and I had been an item. Our sudden shift in interaction, or should I say lack of interaction had created a worse rumor than the first. Ian and I had broken up after a nasty, public argument over him cheating on me.

Obviously, neither of them had even a shred of truth to them. We, Ian and I, had known that. The rest of the clueless student population had believed it.

A desperate need to end the silence or my nagging conscience had motivated me to correct the wrong of the past. If Ian had cared at all about me or our friendship, it would've ended within hours rather than stretching for days.

It applies to you too, my conscience retorted.

If I'd cared enough about him, I would've to put an end to this unnecessary stalemate.

If there was a way to find the words again, Ian and I would, at the very least, salvage the what remained our fledgling friendship.

Considering where it had been said and what I'd said, school would be the worst possible place to do what needed to be done. It had to be done in Storybrooke. It had to be done where I'd made my mistake the first time, the Jolly Roger.

He'd come if Killian had asked. They had developed a special bond, a trust, that would lead Ian to come without hesitation.

The unexpected warmth better weather beckoned me that Saturday morning, along with my bicycle, to the place I hadn't been to in days.

Killian stood by the boat, arms open for me to step into.

"Lucy, love."

As soon as the love in his arms surrounded me, all that I'd held pent up in me flowed out. In the presence of the massive teenage population of the high school, I'd found it easier to hide it rather than let it show.

"This is all my fault. If I could take it all back I would."

He rubbed my back as I freed everything I'd been thinking all week.

"The worst part is that I have no idea how to fix the mess I've made."

The massaging circles he'd been making on my back stopped.

"Ian's as miserable as you are, darling." Killian pointed out.

Killian had only stated the obvious. I'd seen that much at school.

"However, friendship and love are a team effort. It can't be only you. Ian has to do his part."

Killian the Wise had confirmed what I'd known to be the answer, in the back of my mind.

I stepped out of his arms, straightened my spine, and looked into Killian's eyes.

"That's why I'm here. He's been avoiding me all week, even when I try to talk to him."

Killian let his arms fall to his sides.

"You need my help, love?." Killian guessed.

The question had come out in an uneven way.

"I need your help, please. I'd like to at least still be friends by the time Happy Endings Day comes."

A crooked, all-knowing grin stretched across his face. Its energy lit his eyes up when he'd looked at me.

"That's what you'd settle for, but it isn't what you want the most."

The prickly heat of embarrassment travelled up my neck and up to my face.

"You want to him to see you differently, as more than his best friend."

Either Killian had been trained by Emma to detect a lie or we'd been that obvious without realizing it.

"Being an old pirate has taught me to observe those around him. I notice more than you think I do. Somethings don't change over three centuries."

The words that I should've been saying this whole time exited my brain and entered reality.

"I want to be more than his best friend, yes. I'm afraid that I might be wrong about us, if it's just one more thing in my life that I'd come to regret."

Killian grinned.

"Congratulations, love, you've taken the first step fixing this mess."

Only the first step, I reminded myself.

"Now, you and Ian need to be truthful with each other."

Killian stepped back.

"Anything you refuse to say becomes a secret you carry around. Nothing good comes out of that."

It had been serious advice despite the lighthearted way it had come out.

"Take it from a man who knows. Emma and I learned the hard way as well. Truth frees both of you, but secrets only keep two people apart. Too much time apart makes things harder. Honesty is the only way for you two to get past what has already happened."

If Ian had meant anything at all to me, two-way honesty had to happen.

"Don't worry, Lucy love. Happy Endings Day might have a whole new meaning for you."

A halo of sunlight surrounded his dark hair.

Killian had been my angel that day. When I'd lost hope, he'd found more for me to cling to.

"Come back to the Jolly Roger tomorrow around noon. I'll make sure to get Ian back here after I know you're below deck. You and Ian will work this out. I've seen the way he looks at you."

He confidence in the last sentence had been his, even if I had wished to have that same assurance. Sunday afternoon, my life would change for the best or for the better.


	2. Reconciliation

The human brain, the place of where common sense and moral thought tend to clash at the worst possible times for hours, hadn't made peace even after my body had given into its need for sleep. I had walked into my bedroom door on my way to the bathroom and leaned against the walls on my way there. Getting dressed hadn't been any easier. After fumbling with plastic shirt and metal denim jeans buttons, I'd resigned myself to my Roni's Hyperion Height's sweatshirt and sweatpants. Who else was going to see me this way anyway?

The primary early birds of this town had been out of town for the last three days on a paid vacation. It had made my choice of clothing all the easier to choose.

I pondered my courses of action for the coming potential disaster as I pulled on my coat.

Before me, mentally, had been two options. Option number one had been to take the easiest way out. I could call Emma and cancel out on Happy Ending's Day on the boat. I wouldn't have to face Ian and our lives would move on…eventually. Option two had been to do the right thing. The right thing had meant to face him, no matter how nerve-racking the confrontation would be.

Okay, confrontation makes it sound worse than it probably was going to be.

My mind and my feet had made the unanimous decision to…do the right thing.

Granny's Diner…and then to the Jolly Roger.

The tiny bell rang when I stepped onto the checkered floor of red and white. Ruby had been talking to the newest short-order cook through the opening. From my vantage point, it seemed as if she'd been flirting with the guy.

Ruby, the bright-eyed waitress with long, black hair, had her own secret. I'd overheard dad and Emma talking one Halloween about how she'd turned into a werewolf when Emma first arrived there. From what I gleaned from that eavesdropping session, it had been Emma that had kept the town from killing her.

Hopefully that cook had been like her. Everybody needs someone that can empathize.

The malt machine, idle on a wall shelf, produced an unexpected craving for a chocolate shake. The aroma of pancakes on the grill induced the loudest rumble I'd ever heard.

The crisp swish of turning pages turned my attention to a corner booth. The person turning the pages had been shielded by the booth facing me.

My head turned to the right, but my feet carried me ever closer to that booth.

Curiosity or assurance that I'd been alone, I don't know.

When I'd seen the person that had been cloaked from my vision, I stood at the end of the table. Like a deer staring at a car speeding my way, every muscle froze.

Ian!

My presence hadn't registered until I tried to turn toward the counter.

"Lucy. Don't walk away, please."

Ian's plea stalled me in my second step.

So much for the Jolly Roger and time to work out what I'd say.

"Please." An Irish accent came out of his mouth.

In all the time we'd been talking, I had never heard it come out in such a plain, open fashion.

I changed my direction and sat across from him.

Ian had put whatever he'd been reading on a rainbow of other thin brochures. The beginning of dark circle below his eyes contrasted with the light blue of his eyes.

Killian had been correct. We had both been putting ourselves through hell.

Before Ian could say a word more, Ruby strolled over to the booth.

Ruby took both of our orders and retreated to where the cook had been, his attention fixed on Ruby.

The seat below me had been cushioned but the gravity of the situation had turned it to cold, uncomfortable stone.

"I have been a jerk to you. I'm sorry." Ian spoke up ahead of me.

I tried to come up with response to his genuine admission, but nothing came to mind.

"Killian warned me that secrets between two people never end well. My reaction that day hadn't been about you as much as it had been about something I'd thought I'd gotten over years ago."

The hum of the malt maker and sizzle of the grill weren't powerful enough to overcome the sound of Ian's soft voice.

"James Hawkins isn't my biological father. He took me in when I was 3. From what he told me, my mother had been a common bar wench. Instead of leaving that life behind, she snuck me aboard his boat and left me sleeping on a bed of coiled line. He'd known her most of his life. If she'd known who my father was, she never told anyone before she got on another outbound boat."

Abandonment. Even I wouldn't have gotten over that had it been me on the receiving end.

That's when it had occurred to me exactly what I'd done.

Correction, what I'd done twice.

Instead of being angry at his omission, my heat of my anger had been divided between myself and the person that should've raised him. His mother hadn't been there for me to scold but my conscience was there to scorch me for my previous decisions.

"James knows my secret but has never divulged it. I don't want people to pity me because of my mother's decision. I also don't want to turn into a moving target for other people that would love to make me suffer. Certain people of the "Herd" target those with my story."

Translation, "Can I trust you to keep the secret?"

Of course, his secret had made his reaction to my careless words and reckless behavior after excruciatingly easier to understand.

Through my shame, I forced myself to look into his eyes and admit what I'd only now admitted to myself.

"Back in the Jolly Roger, that day, I brought it all back and kept it going at school."

His eyes never left mine.

"Aye, Lucy. You did…even if that hadn't meant to."

A simple apology would never be the salve for the wound I'd caused. It might be a start, but I knew more had to be done.

I place my hand flat on the table's surface. It gave me something to concentrate on and help me find the words I hadn't said.

"You weren't the only one who lied. I lied to myself and you."

The corners of his mouth squirmed down then tilted upward.

Ian moved the brochures into the backpack next to him.

We both nodded our appreciation, which Ruby accepted before going back to the kitchen at a brisk walking pace.

Ruby's response to our nods reflected the obvious awkward embarrassment of interrupting an intimate conversation. For as long as I had known Ruby, I know one thing for sure. Anything her ears would've heard, she would've kept it to herself rather than gossip to someone else.

"You were saying Lucy luv." Ian's normally subdued accent came out.

The calm of his accent eased my nerves and freed my thinking.

I closed my eyes, drew in a breath through my nose, and released it through my mouth.

The growling of my protesting stomach had lost to the resolve instilled by my conscience.

"When I see you, I see my happy ending."

The weariness that had weighed down his facial features had slowly lifted.

"Whenever I look into your eyes, I see a part of myself that I have to keep away from other people. You understand me better than I understand myself."

There I'd said it!

However, that hadn't been the end of it. Like a levy breaking under the pressure of rushing water, the rest of what I hadn't said poured out of me faster than I could filter it.

"It scared me. Every time I think that I have something that special, my fear tricks me into thinking it won't last. If I'd said that back then, we wouldn't be here now. My fear of being hurt, survival instinct, stopped me."

Air cleared! No lies, only absolute uncensored honesty.

He slid his plate to the side and intertwined his fingers into mine.

"I loved having Killian around as a mentor, but this last summer spent on the Jolly Roger, had been to be around you. I remembered your presentation from school and volunteered to help dad on his project. I stayed on as an apprentice under Killian to stay close to you."

Ian grimaced immediately after the last sentence.

"Okay, that last sentence came out wrong." Ian chuckled nervously, "I promise, I wasn't stalking you."

Heat travelled up from my collar bone clear up to the tips of my ears.

No, I hadn't taken it as Ian had been stalking me. That's not why I turned as red as the checkers on the floor and table cloth.

It had been the idea that Ian had been pursuing me almost from the start.

How had I not noticed?

"Killian had me come back after you'd left. His wisdom never left me. Although he and Emma have an amazing story, I wouldn't be eager to duplicate it with us. Going from literal 'hell and back' sounds terrifying."

The outburst of my stomach drew his attention and mine at the same time.

He let go of my hands so that I could eat.

I heard Killian's voice retell that story to me while I ate my, now Luke warm pancakes, and sucked up my now melted malt.

Ian followed my lead, unrolling his silverware from the napkin.

I'd steal glances of Ian, thinking about that bond that Emma and Killian had shared. That bond had been made from a physical attraction, spiritual union, and emotional connection that had been born out of conflicts they'd endured together. Everyone faces a moment of truth where a decision between fear of the days ahead and the courage to face them presents itself. Emma chosen courage over fear, in the end.

There I sat looking over at the one person that had been at the end of my "moment of truth."

Ian pulled his wallet from back pocket of his jeans. Ruby took the money and the ticket with an unmistakable grin of satisfaction on her lips.

"This has all the makings of a first date, don't you think, Lucy luv?"

Enter mushroom cloud of excited, girlish shock.

MIND BLOWN!

Ian side-stepped out of his seat. With his left, he slung the bag onto his back.

I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

"Now that we have that whole mess behind us, I've wanted to say something from the time we'd become friends."

A strange ease and excitement surged through me when he intertwined his fingers with mine.

Ian leaned close to my ear, his breath creating tremors that jostled more than my mind.

"You are my happy ending."

Ian squeezed my hand, the reassurance that he'd been honest about everything this time.

We left Granny's, our hands still attached to each other, Ian leading the way.

"Right now, I see a happy ending. Killian reminded me that happy endings take work. I'm willing, if you are."

My mind had warned me to listen, truly listen.

"Even if we have problems along the way, you couldn't lose if you tried."

No response to be made ready before he'd finished.

Our journey ended at the, currently vacant, park. The children of Storybrooke wouldn't be here for another hour or so. We sat on the bench, gentle sea breezes playing with the ends of my hair.

"The future isn't a certain thing. We don't know what's ahead. I refuse to live in the past. There's nothing there but misery for us. We have today. If that's all I'm allowed to have with you, I'll gladly take it."

Ian's lips brushed my hand.

A renewed satisfying, relaxing shock travelled up my arm and into my heart.

The race and then the sudden ease confused me.

"Here we are, holding hands and talking. Killian will be expecting me soon back at the Jolly Roger to get this worked out. I hope we won't disappoint him. After all, he won't be the hero in this one." I turned to Ian.

A shared laugh, for the first time in an eternity.

It might not have been an eternity, but a teenage mind has a limited understanding, for the most part.

"I was just thinking about Killian. I think you're right. We're just rehearsal for him. Wait until Hope is a teenager. The discussions might not be so kind." Ian finally caught is breath.

The laugh gave way to a new kind of silence neither one of us knew what to do with.

A silence with unmet, delayed longing we'd both ignored until now.

That magnetic attraction pulled at both of us as we looked at each other. Our heads gravitated to each other, Ian's hand touched my neck.

Another centimeter and it would've happened.

"Lucy love, I'm sorry but…" Ian massaged my neck.

Lost in the moment, I touched his face, my thumb rubbing across stubble.

"Don't apologize. I understand."

He seemed to lean into my hand, an acknowledgment of my words.

"Lucy luv, I want to kiss you right now. I won't lie." Ian confessed.

I'd been thinking the same thing, my mind bracing for whatever came with his kiss.

We were like statues for the whole world to see, had there been anyone around. Neither one of us seemed to care or worry about it.

Our foreheads touched, and our hands found their way back to each other.

"I want to remember the moment I kiss you for as long as I live. This is too ordinary."

His hand pulled mine deeper into his.

"No, I'm saving it for Happy Ending's Eve. I don't care if anybody sees us. This is something I want us both to remember. Do you understand?"

I searched for the words, hoping that I wouldn't stutter when they came out.

"I can wait. If we've waited this long to just get to this point, I can wait to kiss you."

Together, in perfect sync, we stood up.

Ian draped his arm on my shoulders and I wrapped my arm around his waist. We walked to the piers, side-by-side.

Killian had been right.

Wasn't he always?


	3. Boyfriend!

The sensation of his touch should've left me stumbling, even uncomfortable, considering the newness of the relationship. The warmth radiating from his hand as he rested on my shoulder had stabilized me rather than what I'd expected.

I'd expected one surprise, but Killian had ensured a second.

Emma and Killian stood on the dock lost in conversation.

Emma leaned into Killian, her arm around his waist. Killian's good hand held her closer to him as it rested on her shoulder.

"Two for one deal, huh?" Ian joked, his voice free of the past emotions of the morning.

The loose atmosphere of emotional freedom had added humor to the moment.

I'd only turned to Ian for a few seconds. Down below us, Emma and Killian were lost in their own world, never noticing the audience above that turned away.

Us.

He'd cleared his throat, the discomfort of our voyeurism showing.

Ian used his peripheral vision to confirm the all clear.

In a moment of whimsy, he lifted my arm and spun me around, stopping when we'd had a clear view again.

"That's a lucky man down there." Ian announced, his eyes fixed on my grandparents, "He has everything that matters in his life."

Change the wording by one word and he would've been reading my mind. Everything that ever mattered in this life, Emma had found. She had a son that loved her despite her choice as a teenager. She'd found a man, albeit a pirate, that loved her and accepted her for everything she was or had been. She had an infant son and an energetic daughter with her father's handsome looks.

Wasn't that all anyone could ask for in this life?

If I'd learned anything from them as a teenager, it had been that having someone that truly loved you in your life had been treasure enough. Anything more, in the material sense, would hardly matter in the end.

"Right now," Ian twisted my body ninety degrees, "I'm second only to Killian. I got you to look forward to, even if it isn't for long. That's so much more than I asked for."

He leaned his head against mine, stroking my hair. I soaked in the way his eyes shined whenever they latched onto mine. I memorized it. If this turned south, I'd have this moment to remember how it felt to be treasured by someone other than family.

"Right now I don't know if I should celebrate or be scared. Fear says one thing but hope says another. Is it just me?"

Ian's hands dropped to my waist.

"No. All we can do is follow where it takes us. I'll just take this a day at a time, a moment at a time. I'm in no rush."

If I hadn't known better, Ian had been a mind reader. My fears were silenced, for the moment.

Ian grabbed my hand and led me down the hill to the ramp. The joy and satisfaction on his face when he turned around brought out mine.

Emma whispered something in Killian's ear that brought out a smile that made the sun seem dim.

Killian whispered something back to her that brought her closer to his side.

Emma stepped away from Killian and opened her arms wide.

Ian let go of my hand to let me fill the space between them.

"From that smile on your face and the way you two looked from down here, I'd say that our intervention hadn't been necessary after all."

My only way to confirm her hypothesis had been to hug her with a slight squeeze.

Killian approached me from the other side.

"Lucy love, it appears you never really needed me at all. You just needed each other."

"As usual, yes. Thank you." I agreed wrapping one arm around Killian and the other around Emma.

Ian's arms opened after I'd stepped away from my grandparents. His arms wrapped around my waist, his breath warming my scalp.

Killian's face took on a fatherly expression that I'd come to appreciate. It had always meant that useful advice had been on its way out of his mind and into mine…ours.

"Lucy, Ian…This feeling you two share now won't always be there. You won't always get along and you'll misunderstand each other. The difference is in how you deal with it. Come back to this and it will pull you two back together."

Emma reached for his hand.

"If my Emma taught me anything, true love is the rarest treasure anyone can find in this life. Once you've found it, never let it go."

Killian focused on the wedding band on his hand that had been abused by time and hard work, yet it still shined.

"This wedding band, for me, is the reminder of how much treasure I have. Treasure I have no intention of ever letting go of."

Marriage hadn't been in either of our minds, not when you're only 17. Still, I had my reminders of how rich I was, at least for the moment.

Emma changed the topic.

"About the Happy Endings Eve event…"

The butterflies that had settled down in my stomach flapped back to full flight. I had to smile despite the disguised nerves.

Six more days. The longest, most difficult wait would be over with.

The way Ian's arms tightened for a second meant I never had to look up to see that same smile on his face.

"Yes…Happy Endings Eve. Emma has arranged for Granny to fix a basket of Emma's favorite meal and some sparking cider to celebrate." Killian followed her lead.

I think we both had to strain to catch the itinerary because we had been each other's distraction. There was no mistaking the message in her eyes and in her smile. Ian had her approval.

"Be here before sundown…about 3 in the afternoon on Saturday." Killian reiterated.

Ian exchanged a glance as if to share an inside joke.

"You mean 2:45." Ian answered.

"Aye, Ian, my boy. On time is late." Killian chuckled.

My hand never left stayed connected whole way home. Instead of a kiss goodbye, our foreheads joined.

"This is going to be more difficult than I thought." Ian stroked my hair.

"But it will be the most worth it." I placed my hands around his neck, the gravity of temptation pulling at me.

In almost complete unison, our hands dropped waist level and captured each other.

It had been Sunday.

School would come the next day.

"I may have to wait to kiss you but I'm always happy to hold your hand. We'll shut them up when they see these hands attached to each other." Ian stepped back but never let go of my eyes.

The new energy that circulated through every corner of my mind.

"I can live with that."

Footsteps behind me, two sets of footsteps that is, had arrived undetected.

"You must be Ian." My mom's voice called from behind the screen door, destroying any of the remaining privacy.

One hand may have dropped when he'd straightened his posture, but one had held its grip.

"Aye ma'am, that would be me Mrs. Mills."

I loved the sound of his accent each time he'd let his accent come out.

If my dad had been endowed with the gift of heat vision, Ian would've been running down the street at world record speed. For some odd reason, his protective stare on our joined hands increased my grip.

"Ian, this is my dad, Henry Mills, acting mayor of Storybrooke." I gestured to my dad.

Dad accepted Ian's handshake with a strained expression, a strangely amusing hybrid of strained composure in the form of a smile and a warning glare.

The sweat of Ian's hand in mine betrayed his awareness of what I'd seen.

"Lucy Lo…Lucy is a treasure." Ian stammered, stopping short of my nickname. "You are a lucky father."

Mom dug a strategically placed elbow into dad's ribs.

My mom had never been the greatest at subtle, a good thing for my dad at times.

My words had come out stuttered in my mind, clear as day when they escaped my lips.

"Dad this is my boyfriend, Ian Hawkins."

Dad's jaw locked in a way that I'd never seen before that moment.

Mom had the same elbow cocked back, aimed at the same spot as before.

Ian turned to me and then to my dad.

"I promise Mr. Mills. Your daughter will always be in good hands when I'm around."

The right side of his lip twitched, skepticism written all over his face.

A brief glare of afternoon sun had offered us an exit from a potentially awkward conversation.

The sun had been inching towards the horizon, I hadn't noticed until then.

It had been too momentous of day for my dad to accidentally ruin it with his justified, but unnecessary show of protective-dad force. I wanted to remember it for the highlights, rather than an embarrassing second of time.

Mom grabbed dad by the arm and shut the door behind them.

Mom winked at me just before curtain moved back into place.

Ian reached for my other hand.

"I know what you're thinking. You're his princess. Any father worth his salt would have done the same. I've heard from teammates of worse things done in their presence. No need to apologize."

It hadn't scared him away, good!

"Goodnight, Ian. Thank you for a day I'll never forget."

Ian accepted the cue with the kind of grace, I suspect, had been lesson courtesy of Killian.

"Goodnight, Lucy love. You already know where I will be waiting for you."

Ian navigated the one stair step and the sidewalk, all while walking backwards. He turned his back to me after he'd reached the sidewalk.

I watched from that step until he'd disappeared from my sight.

What a strangely, scary satisfying day.

Mom had prevented the lecture I knew had been coming.

"Get ready for dinner, Lucy." Mom dismissed me.

Nothing more came up for the rest of the night about Ian or what had happened at my door.

That night had been the best sleep I had in over a week.

Memories are better than dreams…their real.


	4. The Memory of a Lifetime

Before the passenger door opened, dad touched my shoulder.

Dad glanced at the rearview mirror and the pile up of cars behind us before a defeated sigh came out.

"Lucy, I'm sorry about last night. I'll give Ian a chance. If mom trusts him, then I'll try to trust him."

I hugged dad before leaving the car.

"Thanks, dad. It's all I can ask for. Love you."

Ian waved at me from behind the glass of the right window.

His hand reached for mine as soon as I'd entered the door.

Signs of fatigue had all but vanished. His eyes almost glowed, the dark circles were beginning to fade, and I noticed extra energy in his step.

The true entertainment had come as we passed up the people he'd once called "friends". Some ignored the sight of us passing, our hands almost touching to prevent a PDA detention. Glares of disgust dropped jaws of disbelief, and the smirks of satisfaction from the non-jocks had been the result.

One of the cheerleaders had slammed her locker door shut and muttered something.

I'd seen her lips move and had smiled in victory at the words.

"The loser and the freak."

I'm not sure if Ian had noticed, maybe it had been better that was.

"Same booth at lunch, as its always been. I'll miss you."

We waited for the teacher to pass before I grabbed his hand.

I squeezed his hand in response.

"I know. I'll miss you too."

For the next five days, it had become our…ritual, of sorts. Each time we'd fought back the one temptation we'd shared.

Somehow, we'd made it, despite the sudden increase of "Herd" PDA sessions as we exited the school. Our solution had been to tighten the grip of our joined hands.

Happy Endings Eve

I clutched the rails as I took each step down to the landing. The light of the fixture above me had turned my dark blue, long sleeved velvet dress to a blue violet. The skirt had stopped half way between my knee and ankle.

Mom teared up, as all mothers seem to at moments like this.

Dad held his composure while never letting Ian out of his peripherals.

Ian?

Ian stood there, his eyes fixed on me. He'd tried to take a step, but his shoulder had been stopped by the wall.

"Luce, you're beautiful. Isn't she, honey?" Mom gasped in awe.

Dad stepped forward, kissed my cheek, and wrapped his arms around me.

"You've always been beautiful. You'll always be my little girl."

Ian found his equilibrium, straightened his tie, and lifted his arms. His upward palms and mesmerized expression invited me to reach for them.

"Lucy, Love, you look…" Ian almost stuttered as he took in the dress.

The fresh scent of soap and slightest hint of cologne had me off balance, on the inside. The haircut had added to his already distracting presences…pleasantly distracting presence.

"I know."

My heart raced by only taking in the vision before me.

"Wow. I…I love that color of your shirt. Goes with your eyes."

The honking of Emma's yellow bug outside took the tension from my father's shoulders.

"Our chariot awaits." Ian bowed.

Dad opened his mouth to say something, but mom shut it before he could.

"You look so beautiful that I could…" Ian whispered as we approached Emma's car.

I'd been thinking the same thing, about him.

"You will…later." I finished.

White lights outlined the edges of the Jolly Roger. Killian wait for Emma on the pier, the hook side behind his back.

Killian had been wearing his black leather jacket with a pair of black jeans and black shirt. From the way he'd greeted her, they'd done this before.

Underneath Emma's red leather jacket had been a white dress reminiscent of the one I'd seen in "Rebel Without a Cause."

Killian removed his hand from behind his back. A full bouquet of dark red roses rested in the gloved prosthetic hand. If this had been his attempt at reliving the memories they'd shared, I would've loved to have witnessed actual event.

"Emma, you still look…" Killian stammered, the roses shaking in his prosthetic hand.

"I know…This time no Snow Queen to worry about or curses to deal with." Emma reached for the bouquet, taking in the aroma of each sweet, deep red rose.

Snow Queen?

"I can have coffee anytime I want." Killian teased, mischief in his grin.

The Emma Swan-Killian Jones Theater production playing out in front of me had allowed Ian to surprise me with his own.

"White for innocence and violet for enchantment."

The wait wouldn't have lasted if not for the fact that the night had come. No doubt, I would've kissed him then and there.

Killian turned his attention to the man behind the helm.

James Hawkins.

"Thank you, Mate." Killian called, which had been received with wave and a smile.

With a flick of Emma's hand, the ropes untied themselves from the dock and coiled themselves in a perfect spiral.

"Thank you, darling." Killian kissed Emma's cheek.

Killian led Emma down the steps and into the newly remodeled below deck area.

"Your Happy Endings Day gift, my love." Killian practically bowed with an embellished sweep of his arm.

One thing I'd noticed about Emma, her actions often spoke volumes more than any words would.

Emma, in one fluid motion, wrapped her arms around Killian's neck and delivered a kiss that had made us turn around. Killian had been the one to come up for air.

"Easy tiger, we have company." Killian remarked, a knavish sideways grin on his face.

When we turned around, Emma's arms were still around his neck,

"Killian Jones…I'm happy to be your wife."

The basket on the table unleashed the delightfully delicious aromas of Granny's onion rings and signature grilled cheese sandwiches. Four wine glasses surrounded a silver chalice with a bottle of sparkling apple cider nestled up to its neck in ice.

"I'm hungry, how about you two?" Emma pulled Killian behind her.

Killian and Ian sat on one side of the table, while Emma and I sat on the other. Two long white candles, their flames dancing, separated us. Killian and Emma reached across the table, blissfully lost in a moment that had long since passed them by.

Ian's father had dropped the anchor and had entered the dining room.

"Anchor is dropped, Cap'n. Dinner will be served."

Ian reached for my hand, his father's relaxed bustling as he laid out each plate and course.

After pouring the sparkling cider and distributing it to everyone, James Hawkins poured himself a glass.

The sharp, yet pleasant sound of a fork meeting glass pulled Killian and Emma from where ever their minds had carried them off too earlier.

"A toast to Happy Endings Day and to many more to come." Ian's father announced with a raised glass.

Killian stood up, not to be outdone.

"To my Happy Ending, my Emma. My beautiful Swan."

Ian's legs quivered under him when he stood up.

"To my Lucy Love. My Happy Ending. My Happy Beginning. May this not be the only one we ever have."

The words I would've said had been choked out by the tears of joy in my eyes.

"To Killian. You are my Happy Ending, my Happy Beginning, my living proof that true love exists. I love you."

I found my legs and words just as they had sat down.

"Mine won't be as good. Forgive me if it's plain." I cleared my throat.

I looked into Ian's eyes first.

"To Ian, My Happy Ending and my Happy Beginning, the person I never thought I'd meet."

Killian and Emma turned to me, their wedding bands overlapping.

"To Killian and Emma. You are the best grandparents a girl like me can ask for. If not for your wisdom and patience, Ian and I would've never made it here. Thank you and I love you for it."

Emma reached over and squeezed my hand.

"Anytime kid. That's what we're for."

Casual conversation flowed between the adults. Ian and I tried to add to the conversation but the anticipation of what was to come had left us mostly as a spectator during the dinner.

Bright lights exploded across the sky, the reflections of falling sparks bouncing off the wood just below. Soft thuds of launched fireworks followed by the sharp whistles, sizzles and bangs.

Ian stood up. Nervous anticipation shined in his eyes. A mirror image of what must've been all over my face. A new, undeniable electricity travelled from him to me when he'd taken my hand. Killian and Emma followed us to the main deck where a panoramic fireworks display illuminated the sky all around us.

We both surrendered the to the gravity that had been pulling us closer for the last six days. The last thing I remember seeing before our lips had met had been the falling pink sparks of fizzling heart.

A peace I'd never known before spread into ever part of my body, my heart, and my soul. The fireworks had disappeared, even the boat we stood on had left my consciousness.

The world around us had faded to white. We were the only people in our world.

Once we pulled away from each other, we'd stared at each other. Both of us breathless in amazement, yet still holding on.

Normally, my ribs are my most ticklish spot on my whole body.

Strangely, in that moment it had given more of a massage sensation as his thumbs moved up and down them.

Cliché, it might be, but it had been the truth.

I'd wanted to go back to that world again.

"Thank you, Lucy love. I've never been kissed until just then. It's now my favorite memory. That was…you were…you are worth all the waiting."

Standing there with him, lost in a moment only we lived in, I began to understand what Emma and Killian must have felt whenever they did the same. Peace. Clarity. Completeness.

"No fair, you stole my words."

With that, Ian stole…no, I gave away one more to reinforce the point.

I remembered what Killian had said six days before.

"Never forget this." Ian kissed my forehead.

"I won't."

I never did.


End file.
